A new study of the economic influence of the Houston Ship Channel shows more than 1 million jobs in Texas are related to the moving of cargo by way of public and private marine terminals at the Port of Houston. (See attachment)

Based on interviews with 1,174 firms providing services to cargo and vessels along the waterway during 2011, the study showed that of the 53,952 jobs directly related to the port, 83 percent of those jobs are held by residents of Harris County.

Additionally, in 2011, marine cargo activity at the public and private marine terminals at the Port of Houston and along the Houston Ship Channel generated $178.5 billion of total economic activity in the state.

In all, the Local and Regional Economic Impacts of the Port of Houston, 2011 found marine activity supported nearly $56.5 billion of total personal wage and salary income and local consumption expenditures for Texas residents.

This includes $13.5 billion of direct, indirect, induced and local consumption expenditures, while the remaining $42.9 billion, the survey said.

Other findings include:

As the result of local and regional purchases by individuals holding the direct jobs, an additional 71,065 induced jobs are supported in the regional economy.

Indirect jobs, a total of 49,835, were supported by $4.5 billion of local purchases by businesses supplying services at the marine terminals and by businesses dependent upon the Port of Houston.

The other 851,968 jobs are classified as related jobs and are with importers and exporters and supporting firms using the Port of Houston public and private marine terminals in 2011.